The shocking death of Julien Hug, a former contestant on Jillian Harris’ season of ‘The Bachelorette,’ remains a mystery but his friend is claiming it was a suicide!

Although authorities are “handling the incident as a death investigation where no foul play is suspected,” his friend Tom Ulich says he was told that Hug took his own life!

He told RadarOnline: “I’m completely in shock. When my FBI friends told me Julien shot himself in the head, I fell to my knees in disbelief.”

People.com reports that Julien’s family is now also backing the suicide claim, saying he even left a suicide letter. Bertrand and Denise Hug said in a statement, “Our son meant the world to us and this came as a complete shock,” they say. “We are beyond devastated and completely distraught. … What we saw was his thirst for life with fast cars, motorcycles and his love of skydiving.”

Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Borja said in a statement that Hug’s body was found in the remote Pinyon Pines area of California off Highway 74 around 11am on Nov 3 and that no foul play was suspected, although he did not confirm a cause of death yet. Popeater.com said Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Melissa Nieburger told the press in a statement that the body was found in an area that “you would need to hike into.”

An official cause of death is pending a coroner’s investigation. We’re so sorry for Julien’s parents, Bertrand and Denise. What a devastating loss.